Chapter 201 Dragon Boat Festival
Sun Xiuhua hadn't slept well for several days, and the blue spots under her eyes couldn't be covered up even with powder. When she heard that the prince was coming, her heart ached.
She was in the East Palace and was completely in the dark about the outside world. She had no access to any news. The prince came over at this time. Maybe something happened to her cousin?
"Meet your highness."
The prince walked past her and sat down on the chair before speaking: "Come here and talk."
Sun Xiuhua lowered her eyes and couldn't see the prince's expression, but she had a bad feeling.
She walked over in small steps, raised her eyes to look at the prince, and saw a gloomy face.
"Did you really put the medicine in the tea that day?"
Sun Xiuhua's heart sank, and she nodded quickly: "Really!"
"Did you see Qi Shuo drink it with your own eyes?"
"Well, I didn't even blink as I watched my cousin drink most of the tea."
"Then why is Qi Shuo not hurt at all?" The prince stretched out his hand and pulled Sun Xiuhua in front of him, his eyes red. "Not only is he fine, he even has the energy to play around with women!"
He was always looking forward to the news of Qi Shuo's death, but all he got was the news that Qi Shuo was fooling around with Miss Lin Er.
It really pissed him off!
Sun Xiuhua was grabbed by the prince's collar, breathing a little hard: "Your Highness, Your Highness, didn't you say that the medicine wouldn't work immediately? Maybe it will take another day or two——"
"I know more about the medicine than you do!" The prince grabbed Sun Xiuhua's neck with one hand and increased his strength. "Tell me the truth, was it because you were afraid that you didn't give Qi Shuo the medicine?"
Sun Xiuhua's face suddenly flushed red, tears streaming down her face: "I, I really put the medicine in the tea... I dare not go against your Highness's wishes..."
The prince let go of his hand, and Sun Xiuhua collapsed to the ground, covering her neck and coughing.
"You'd better not lie to me." The prince glanced at her coldly and strode away.
The pearl curtain fluttered, and in a blink of an eye, the prince disappeared. Sun Xiuhua sat on the cold floor, crying silently.
For the first time, she regretted it.
She was not afraid of the deep palace walls and the open and secret struggles, but she did not expect that the prince was a lunatic.
The prince endured for two more days, but when he heard that Prince Jing had taken the future princess out for a horseback ride, he could no longer bear it.
"Bitch, did you give Qi Shuo drugs or a tonic soup?"
Qi Shuo, that sickly boy, can actually ride a horse for fun!
"You have been deceiving me, right?" The prince skillfully grabbed Sun Xiuhua's neck, his eyes bloodshot.
Sun Xiuhua soon became breathless and subconsciously tried to grab the prince's hand: "Your Highness... Your Highness... I didn't lie to you... I can't breathe..."
Seeing her eyes roll back, the prince finally let go of her hand, kicked her far away, and left angrily.
Sun Xiuhua was in so much pain that she couldn't recover for a long time. She held onto the chair leg and gasped for breath.
The maid approached cautiously: "Select a concubine——"
Sun Xiuhua shuddered all over and shrank subconsciously.
"My dear, let me help you up."
Sun Xiuhua was helped to the bed by the palace maid, her eyes were empty as if all the life had been sucked out of her.
The prince went back and took some Five-Colored Powder to relieve his mood, and found an opportunity to leave the palace.
He wanted to see with his own eyes what was going on with Prince Jing!
The prince waited on the road that had to be passed, and sure enough, he saw Qi Shuo and Lin Hao leading their horses towards this side.
"Brother Wang, what a coincidence."
"Where are you going, Your Highness?" Qi Shuo asked politely.
"Just came back from Xiyuan, and unexpectedly ran into the prince. Are you guys out?"
Qi Shuo smiled and nodded: "I caught a cold a few days ago and have been stuck at home. Now I feel much better, so I took Ah Hao out to play."
"My brother is in such a good mood." The prince glanced at Lin Hao and almost couldn't control his expression.
This is really weird. Even if Qi Shuo wasn't poisoned, why does he look better than before?
"Your Highness, would you like to come to the palace and sit down?"
"No, it's getting late. I should go back to the palace. Let's meet again another day." The prince said, and suddenly seemed to remember, "Dragon Boat Festival boating, my brother will go, right?"
Qi Shuo smiled slightly: "I've been feeling pretty good lately, so I should be able to go."
The prince's eyelids twitched, and he smiled: "See you then."
As the prince left, surrounded by a group of guards, Lin Hao chuckled, "Ah Shuo, did you see that? The prince is going to be pissed off to death by you."
Qi Shuo glanced at the group of people walking away and whispered, "The prince is almost losing control of his emotions."
Such a prince is like a powder keg, which will explode if a spark is thrown into it.
"Ah Shuo, on the Dragon Boat Festival, the prince will probably attack you again."
"Don't worry, the prince may be able to take care of himself."
After returning to the Eastern Palace and venting his anger, the Crown Prince ordered Wang Fu, "Prepare another dose of that medicine. This time I will come in person."
The Dragon Boat Festival is here in the blink of an eye.
Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, not only do the people hold various celebrations, but the royal family also organizes dragon boat races on the lake.
Early that morning, all the officials and nobles gathered in the palace and accompanied Emperor Tai'an to the Western Garden.
Among the huge crowd were Prince Yu Liu and Princess Ling Que, brother and sister.
The Empress Dowager, citing fatigue, opted out of the event, so Princess Yi'an naturally stayed to entertain her. The only concubines who accompanied Emperor Tai'an aboard the dragon boat were Consorts Zhuang and Jing, and the young princess.
"Your country's dragon boats are truly magnificent." Seeing the dozens of huge dragon boats parked in the boundless blue lake, Prince Yu Liu expressed his sincere admiration.
Although Yu Liu is not bad, it is a small place and is ultimately lacking in some aspects.
Emperor Tai'an was in a good mood after hearing this and said with a smile, "It's a rare opportunity for your Highness to come here. It's a good opportunity for you to experience the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival in the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Everyone boarded different dragon boats according to their official positions. Those who could board the same dragon boat with Emperor Tai'an were either important officials from various departments, or top nobles, or royal family members such as Prince Jing.
"Please sit down." Emperor Tai'an raised his hand after sitting down.
The sounds of drums and pianos rang out, and beautiful palace maids in palace costumes came in one after another, placing delicious food and wine in front of everyone.
The dragon boats paddle and the cool breeze blows in, making people feel relaxed and happy.
With a shout of "Ci Zong", strings of zongzi were presented.
Emperor Tai'an said with a smile, "Eating zongzi is essential during the Dragon Boat Festival. Prince, please try it and see if it suits your taste."
The rice dumplings, which are not much bigger than lychees, are wrapped with colorful silk threads. Each string is small and exquisite, which is very pleasing to the eye.
Prince Yu Liu peeled off the bamboo leaves and ate it in one bite, praising it profusely: "It's delicious."
The sweet bean and red date rice dumplings were delicious, but he praised them so much because the princess had recently snatched the prince consort of the Zhou Dynasty, so he had to be softer in his attitude.
After eating the rice dumplings, he took a sip of wine and savored it carefully: "Is this... Pu wine? In Yuliu, we mostly drink realgar wine."
The prince couldn't help but interject, "Realgar wine tastes a bit strange."
Emperor Tai'an glared at the prince, and he shut up.
"Come, let us drink from this cup together, and be in good health and prosperity."
Everyone raised their glasses and said, "I wish your Majesty good health and success."
After that, everyone toasted each other, and the scene became more and more lively. The prince saw that the time was almost up, so he went to Qi Shuo without leaving a trace.
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